Thousands bid farewell to Turkish teacher killed in Somalia


Date posted: April 3, 2016

Thousands of people joined funeral prayers held for Hıdır Çalka, a Turkish teacher who was among five people who were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked a school bus carrying students, teachers and school staff in Mogadishu on Wednesday, in İstanbul on Saturday.

Çalka was among two volunteer expat teachers who were killed in the attack.

hidir-calka

The other victim was an Azerbaijani citizen identified as Banu Kemaliye İsmailov. The other three victims were the driver of the bus, a translator and a security guard of the Turkish school in Mogadishu which was opened by Turkish entrepreneurs inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

The bodies of the two teachers were brought to İstanbul early on Saturday. İsmailov’s body was sent to her home country for burial while a funeral ceremony was held for Çalka in the afternoon.

Thousands gathered in front of Ulu Camii in the Bahçelievler district to pay final respects for Çalka. Among those who attended Çalka’s funeral ceremony were Somalian students who are receiving education in Turkey.

sehit-hidir-calka-00 sehit-hidir-calka-01 sehit-hidir-calka-03 sehit-hidir-calka-04 sehit-hidir-calka-05

Gülen earlier issued a message of condolence for the two teachers. In his message posted on ozgurherkul.com website, Gülen said it is very unfortunate that expat teachers who went to Somalia for educational activities as well as Somalian teachers and students were made a target of such a terrorist attack, noting that he has been deeply saddened by the incident.

“I condemn this attack, its perpetrators and all kinds of terrorism,” the scholar said in his message.

Gülen offered his condolences to the families of the victims as well as the people of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Somalia over the tragedy. He also wished a speedy recovery to those who have been injured in the attack.

There are more than 1,000 Turkish schools in 160 countries opened by the followers of the faith-based Gülen movement, which is inspired by Gülen. They are funded by generous Anatolians who are encouraged to open these schools by Gülen who promotes educational activities, peace and dialogue all around the world.

Source: Turkish Munite

Tags: | | | | |


Related News

Pakistan – Turkish teachers, students not to be deported, court told

The federal government Wednesday told the Lahore High Court that Turkish national teachers and students of PakTurk International Schools would not be deported.

Is [Erdogan’s] Maarif Foundation capable of delivering quality education?

Not only will the Maarif Foundation be unable to accomplish anything conducive and rewarding, it will not be able to prepare the required generation of youth with open-mindedness and critical thinking.

Fethullah Gülen condemns the terrorist attack in Gaziantep, Turkey

I condemn, in the strongest terms, the barbaric terrorist attack on attendees of a wedding ceremony in Gaziantep, Turkey that took the lives of more than fifty citizens, including children, and wounded many others. This is not just an attack on the attendees of a wedding, but also an attack on the solidarity of people of Anatolia, including Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Boshniaks, Albanians, Georgians and Circassians and others who lived as neighbors for centuries.

Ugandan FA Minister: Turkish schools paved the way for Turkey to reach out to Africa

Ugandan Foreign Affairs Minister Asuman Kiyingi said Turkish schools have paved the way for Turkey to reach out to Africa. “I would like to note that especially the Turkish schools underpin the outreach,” he said. The minister Kiyingi shared that they regard the local Turkish schools as the most significant investments Turkey has made in Uganda and that they offer an admirable service in moral education besides their academic achievements.

Afghan-Turk Teachers Call Their Extradition Illegal

Following government’s move to arrest three teachers from Afghan-Turk Schools, other staff members said they are refugees in Afghanistan and that their extradition to Turkey by the Afghan government is illegal.

Hizmet schools win 64 out of 120 TÜBİTAK medals despite gov’t pressure

İstanbul’s Fatih Koleji, Ankara’s Samanyolu and Atlantik Schools and İzmir’s Yamanlar Schools, which have been put under pressure by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, picked up 64 medals out of 120 on Wednesday in the 22nd National Science Olympiad and the 19th National Mathematics Olympiad for primary and secondary schools.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Turkish Olympiads close with perfect ceremony

Police raid successful Gülen-inspired schools in western Turkey

Kazakh President Nazarbayev hails Turkish schools in his country

Erdoğan government opposes democratic values: detained Turkish journalist

Jews, Muslims Bond Over Shared Values

Fethullah Gulen’s Thanksgiving Message

Secular Pakistanis resist Turkey’s ‘authoritarian’ demands

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News